Light meter advice

Eric S · Jan 4, 2021

Hi all,

I've recently begun shooting on film and have acquired some vintage cameras to do so. I know the Sunny-16 rule well enough, but would like to add a light meter to my bag.

Researching said light meters... I quickly feel like i'm being pulled into the deep end of the pool. I began by thinking that I wanted to get a spot meter but they are quite expensive. And... do I want to buy a used one?? Seems I'm buying the meter and viewfinder from my D750 without the camera bit. Yikes.

So... (a) advice on used vs new, (b) spot vs reflect meter when shooting manual unmetered film cameras (TLR & 35mm), and lastly, are there analog options that are worth pursuing?

Thanks if anyone feels like pointing me to some reference material on the topic as I'm not keen on blowing $600+ on this piece of my kit.

BradS · Jan 4, 2021

If you can afford around $200, I suggest buying new. These are the two that I recommend. I am very strongly of the opinion that one does not need a spot meter.
Gossen Sixtomat F2
-- or --
Gossen Digisix 2

Both are excellent and both will do both reflected or incident metering.

shutterfinger · Jan 4, 2021

Your main concern about used light meters is the cell type and battery type. Older selenium cell meters can be good but the selenium cell can go bad and not read correctly. I have a Sekonic that the cell is half dead and it will not read correctly in open shade or low light but does read correctly in bright sun.
Mercury cells are no longer available and meters that use them will need an adapter to use newer batteries.

dourbalistar · Jan 4, 2021

BradS said:
I am very strongly of the opinion that one does not need a spot meter.

I agree with BradS on this, but I'll offer a slightly different and cheaper option, the Sekonic L-208. It also does both reflected and incident metering, but has an analog readout instead of digital so you can see all the equivalent exposure settings at a glance. Also has an EV readout, which is useful for a lot of vintage film cameras. $126 brand new from B&H, but can also be found used for a bit less.

Sirius Glass · Jan 4, 2021

The Sekonic L-308 does reflectance, incident [especially good for white on white, predominantly white, for black on black, predominantly black] and flash.

Eric S · Jan 4, 2021

You guys are awesome. Thank you all. I was really feeling lost.

I really like the Digisix 2... and I really like the Sekonic L-208. I like the form factor.. and how the info is presented.
I see the value in spending a few bucks more to get the L-308 to meter flash, but you surrender the form factor of the previous two candidates, which really resonates with me.

Thanks folks. I'm getting a lot out of this.

Sirius Glass · Jan 4, 2021

Eric S said:
You guys are awesome. Thank you all. I was really feeling lost.

I really like the Digisix 2... and I really like the Sekonic L-208. I like the form factor.. and how the info is presented.
I see the value in spending a few bucks more to get the L-308 to meter flash, but you surrender the form factor of the previous two candidates, which really resonates with me.

Thanks folks. I'm getting a lot out of this.

Our job is to enable members to spend money on photographic equipment, darkroom equipment, projectors and supplies. Your spending will help us reach our goals.

PonySoldier1887 · Jan 4, 2021

Based on your indications there is no reason to acquire a spot meter which is really of limited use for roll-film applications. In all likelihood you will make far greater use of a reflected light meter and, most of these are fairly wide-angles of sensitivity and are thus considered as averaging meters. Fortunately many meters are capable of reading both reflected and incident light. Selenium cell meters are generally incident light meters and are less sensitive (characterized by the dome-shaped receptor and no need for a battery). You should be able to purchase a good Gossen or Seconic meter for less than $200. There is no need to purchase used unless you are looking for some of the "multi-function" meters which generally complicate your life and create confusion... and while there are some attractive "deals" on used meters, unless you have the opportunity to compare them with a known meter of acceptable performance, I wouldn't recommend going down that path!
Joel

Eric S · Jan 4, 2021

Thank you. I just purchased the Sekonic L-208 from BandH.
I'm sure I'm going to wish I bought one with flash metering capabilities, but I really like that unit and the price is right in my strike zone.
Thanks again...

Chan Tran · Jan 4, 2021

My Minolta Flashmeter III broke. Some how I broke the switch so I bought another one on Ebay for $60. It works fine and provides reading the same as my newer Flashmeter VI.

wiltw · Jan 4, 2021

Eric S said:
Hi all,

I've recently begun shooting on film and have acquired some vintage cameras to do so. I know the Sunny-16 rule well enough, but would like to add a light meter to my bag.

Researching said light meters... I quickly feel like i'm being pulled into the deep end of the pool. I began by thinking that I wanted to get a spot meter but they are quite expensive. And... do I want to buy a used one?? Seems I'm buying the meter and viewfinder from my D750 without the camera bit. Yikes.

So... (a) advice on used vs new, (b) spot vs reflect meter when shooting manual unmetered film cameras (TLR & 35mm), and lastly, are there analog options that are worth pursuing?

Thanks if anyone feels like pointing me to some reference material on the topic as I'm not keen on blowing $600+ on this piece of my kit.

A handheld spotmeter is NOT 'like the spotmeter of your D750". ...

The D750 (or all other dSLR with 'spot' metiering mode, a fixed circle within the frame...IOW the angular view in the dSLR spot changes whenever the FL is changed...with a WA lens the spot meters a pretty wide angle, while with a long telephoto can meter a fairly narrow angle.
In comparison, handheld multipurpose meters might measure a FIXED ANGLE of 5 degrees or 10 degrees. A single purpose handheld spotmeter will typically alway measure a fixed ONE DEGREE ANGLE.

Both are similar in that 'both read a 'narrower angle', but differ in just how narrow under what circumstance.

Personally, when I had a 5 degree attachment for my handheld Minolta Autometer, I actually very rarely used it. When I need a 'spot', I rely upon a Minolta (One-Degree) Spotmeter F. But mostly I use a Minolta Autometer Vf handheld incident light meter. Unless I use the spot mode of the camera for less critical rapid metering..

New vs. used is a non-issue...both of my meters are now over 30 years old!

shutterfinger · Jan 4, 2021

I use a Gossen Ultra Spot, purchased used on ebay 10+ years ago. I also have a GE DW 68 that works like new.
Your Sekonic L 208 has a 33° angle of view and will take some practice to prevent getting too much sky in the reading. I read with the center of the sensor at the horizon then the ground with the sky just out of the sensor to get the exposure range of the scene when using such a meter.

Eric S · Jan 4, 2021

shutterfinger said:
I use a Gossen Ultra Spot, purchased used on ebay 10+ years ago. I also have a GE DW 68 that works like new.
Your Sekonic L 208 has a 33° angle of view and will take some practice to prevent getting too much sky in the reading. I read with the center of the sensor at the horizon then the ground with the sky just out of the sensor to get the exposure range of the scene when using such a meter.

That's very useful info. Thank you!

A.Gronow · Jan 7, 2021

This may be heresy to a few on here, but you may consider spending whatever budget you have for a light-meter purchasing film. Then ask for suggestions for light-meter apps for your phone.

BradS · Jan 7, 2021

A.Gronow said:
This may be heresy to a few on here, but you may consider spending whatever budget you have for a light-meter purchasing film. Then ask for suggestions for light-meter apps for your phone.

No, not heresy at all. Many of us have discovered and regularly use various light meter apps. I personally like and use one called simply, myLightMeter.

Anon Ymous · Jan 7, 2021

BradS said:
No, not heresy at all. Many of us have discovered and regularly use various light meter apps. I personally like and use one called simply, myLightMeter.

Which mode are you using it in, reflected or incident?

BradS · Jan 7, 2021

Anon Ymous said:
Which mode are you using it in, reflected or incident?

I have only used it to meter reflected light. I do not have the necessary diffuser for incident measurements.

BradS · Jan 7, 2021

Screenshot of myLightMeter, classic mode
on iPhone....

and here’s what pro mode looks like...

Anon Ymous · Jan 7, 2021

BradS said:
I have only used it to meter reflected light. I do not have the necessary diffuser for incident measurements.

Some of these applications use the light sensor near the earpiece to get an incident measurement, but this can be very hit and miss, depending on the device itself. My previous phone had a fairly decent sensor, the one I have right now definitely doesn't. It's certainly far more accurate to use the reflected mode, which uses the camera anyway...

Sirius Glass · Jan 7, 2021

I will stick with light meters. My 35mm slrs have them. My Hasselblad prism has one that I can even put on the SWC. Light meters are inexpensive these days and I have gotten ALL my lightmeters calibrated.

BradS · Jan 7, 2021

Anon Ymous said:
Some of these applications use the light sensor near the earpiece to get an incident measurement, but this can be very hit and miss, depending on the device itself. My previous phone had a fairly decent sensor, the one I have right now definitely doesn't. It's certainly far more accurate to use the reflected mode, which uses the camera anyway...

Hmmm, that’s interesting. Now I’m not sure if a separate diffuser is necessary or not. I thought I read something to the effect that one was needed but, naturally, cannot find any such advice now. I’ll have to do some experiments. Thanks.

Alan Edward Klein · Jan 7, 2021

wiltw said:
A handheld spotmeter is NOT 'like the spotmeter of your D750". ...

The D750 (or all other dSLR with 'spot' metiering mode, a fixed circle within the frame...IOW the angular view in the dSLR spot changes whenever the FL is changed...with a WA lens the spot meters a pretty wide angle, while with a long telephoto can meter a fairly narrow angle.

In comparison, handheld multipurpose meters might measure a FIXED ANGLE of 5 degrees or 10 degrees. A single purpose handheld spotmeter will typically alway measure a fixed ONE DEGREE ANGLE.

Both are similar in that 'both read a 'narrower angle', but differ in just how narrow under what circumstance.

Personally, when I had a 5 degree attachment for my handheld Minolta Autometer, I actually very rarely used it. When I need a 'spot', I rely upon a Minolta (One-Degree) Spotmeter F. But mostly I use a Minolta Autometer Vf handheld incident light meter. Unless I use the spot mode of the camera for less critical rapid metering..

New vs. used is a non-issue...both of my meters are now over 30 years old!

I've been using my micro 4/3 camera for metering lately. There's a spot mode that varies in degrees depending on the zoom setting of the lens. How would you calculate the degrees of the spot?

Sirius Glass · Jan 7, 2021

Alan Edward Klein said:
I've been using my micro 4/3 camera for metering lately. There's a spot mode that varies in degrees depending on the zoom setting of the lens. How would you calculate the degrees of the spot?

The Nikon F100 allow one to select which box is used as a spot meter so when I put a 300mm lens on it, the spot has a very small field of view. I would think that the high end Nikon and Canon digital cameras have similar features.

Alan Edward Klein · Jan 7, 2021

Sirius Glass said:
The Nikon F100 allow one to select which box is used as a spot meter so when I put a 300mm lens on it, the spot has a very small field of view. I would think that the high end Nikon and Canon digital cameras have similar features.

I just tried to measure it on my Olympus micro 4/3 E-PL1. I've been using it as a light meter. I zoomed into 42mm, the maximum zoom for this lens. That's 84mm equivalent on 35mm camera format. I then measured the width of the "spot" on the screen with a ruler and divided that into the width of the screen and got 15 times. Then I divided the angle for the lens at this zoom of 23.3 degrees angle of view and came up with approximately 1 1/2 degrees for the spot. That's pretty small. Not 1 degree. But small enough.

Ariston · Jan 7, 2021

Use your phone. It is always with you, and it is free.

It cannot do true spot metering, but unless you know in which circumstances you would need that, it doesn't really matter. I shoot a lot, and almost never need anything but my phone. For the exceptionally few instances where I might need a spot meter, I could just as well bracket.

Light meter advice

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